Do you use sleep medication during or after travelling to assist jetlag?

[ejb]

...
I'd rather have that medicine than a chemical laden pill.

Cheers

Yeah because no chemicals are used in pot

ejb

 

[Brisbane Flyer]

Yeah because no chemicals are used in pot

ejb

hehe, don't panic its organic....well at least it was when i was growing up...

 

[lilypily]

how old do we have to be to post on here,as the 'pot' comment could be taken wrong,very much indeed.

 

[Grooba]

I've never used sleeping tablets till last week on QF107 SYD-JFK. Had one tablet after the meal service and got a pretty solid 6 hours sleep. After waking up, had breakfast, landed, transited, jumped back on and dozed again on the LAX-JFK leg (without taking any additional tablets) then arrived at the hotel about 1900. Quick bite to eat then off to bed.

Woke up the next day and was straight into it, no jetlag whatsoever.

Will certainly be using them from now on when flying long haul.

 

[JohnK]

A simple question for those who believe jet lag is real and prefer to travel east to west rather than west to east. Is it better to fly South to North or North to South?

 

[rambisyouth]

Jetlag is definitely real to me in the context of crossing time zones. I find it takes me up to 1 day to normalise after crossing a 1 hour time zone difference. If I fly to London I will wake up early (eg 5am) at the start and get progessively later but it will be close to a week before I'm 100%. I even notice the difference when switching for daylight savings (although very slight).

In addition I generally don't sleep on planes even in the premium cabins. For the last year or so I have been taking sleeping tablets on flights. Serepax and Normison did pretty much nothing but I find Imovane effective. One is enough to send me to sleep at home (at night) within 30 minutes. On a plane I will take two or three depending on the time of day. I'm close to 200cm and over 100kg so I don't recomend this dose for everyone.

Works well for me - I certainly don't sleep the whole flight but at least half which is better than my previous 0.

 

[serfty]

I don't believe I get jetlagged - although if I don't properly schedule sleep I can get quite tired.

For me it's simple*, roughly:

• > 7 hours sleep in 24: No problems
• 6-7 hours sleep in 24: weary
• 5-6 Hours Sleep in 24: tired
• < 5 hours sleep in 24: very tired

*proviso is I do need a 3 hour block of contiguous sleep at least once in 24 hours.

 

[TanyaGordon]

I use "Sleep-ezy" available from Walgreen's in the US, and I usually stock up on them when I'm there.
They are not your "knock-out" type of sleeping tablet, they seem to just aid getting to sleep in the first place, and then make it easier to go back to sleep when you get woken up.

I also use them for the first couple of nights when I get there, and a few nights after I get home.

I've also used Restavit available over the counter at pharmacies here.

 

[Mal]

Have never taken sleeping medication, although have used some Valerian type herbs at times.

I really don't trust sleeping medications, and am concerned about negative side effects.

 

[adrian]

Took Ambein last night from KUL to SYD in Y. Woke up about 30 minutes before landing :mrgreen:

 

[lilypily]

yes alot of people have done very strange things on sleeping tabs,Ambien/Stilnox,have had bad press indeed.

 

[dajop]

A simple question for those who believe jet lag is real and prefer to travel east to west rather than west to east. Is it better to fly South to North or North to South?

Well I think young children who don't have the in built biases of adults are best to illustrate this. My sister and 18mth & 3yo nieces visited me in SIN and there were no dramas with getting the two of them to bed at their normal sleep time either during their time away or after return. They were based in northern WA (so same time zone) and flew south then north via PER to get to SIN. When they visit their grandparents near MEL , it's always a struggle for the first few days getting them to bed of an evening, especially in summer.

So to answer your question I think other than general tiredness there aren't the same effects of doing north south flights, irrespective of direction flown, as one would expect.

 

[straitman]

also, melatonin is apparently useful for some

Yes it keeps me wide awake :!:

I've also used Restavit available over the counter at pharmacies here.

Restavit bombs me out completely.

OT, l used to take Stilnox when l was doing night shift FIFO mine site work. Didn't really work, even after a 6 pack (not recommended), so gave up on them after a while.

Stilnox works just fine for me and I can wake up after a few hours without and drowsiness or after effects.

 

[straitman]

I have only ever taken sleep medication a few times (not for jetlag) and it does not appear to work for me or I need a higher dose.

I have a theory on jetlag and it goes along these lines. Jetlag is simply a myth. When I start my holidays (does not matter which direction I travel) I am full of adrenalin and I am full of energy at my destination. When I come back home (does not matter which dierection I travel or how long I have been away) it usually takes me anywhere from 2-7 days to recover. I think this is more to do with the lack of adrenalin and reality rather than the effects of jetlag.

But that is just my theory and for now no need to change anything....

JohnK,

This is another of those what ever works for you situations. If you have something that's OK for you then I would not change either.

There have been many studies about Jetlag and the 'experts' say that it does really exist. Travelling East to West supposedly is not as bad as West to East and North to South (or reverse) does not have any Jetlag effect.

See Wikipedia.

 

[JohnK]

This is another of those what ever works for you situations. If you have something that's OK for you then I would not change either.

Absolutely we are not all the same.

There have been many studies about Jetlag and the 'experts' say that it does really exist. Travelling East to West supposedly is not as bad as West to East and North to South (or reverse) does not have any Jetlag effect.

It must only exist in certain people at which point is it really jet lag or the failure to be able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns? I guess in a way the same can be said for workers that alternate between morning, afternoon and night shift. Some can handle it some cannot. I can sleep sitting upright in a seat (yes lucky and no need to waste money on a pretend bed) so perhaps that helps. But I have anxiety/panic attacks so that is a drawback.

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes one really needs to question the results of studies. I still maintain that there is no such thing as jetlag and you would be surprised what adrenalin can achieve. I am full of adrenalin which is why I refuse to have a needle when going to the dentist.

And I did work in Asia for a number of years and I was never tired on the way over but always tired on the way back. Travel in those days was exciting and I could not get enough. As soon as I am about to come home realisation strikes and adrenalin is gone and I feel the effects of tiredness. I refuse to call it jetlag.

Another boring example travelling west to east on last RTW. I got to LAX full of energy for connections to DFW and then YYZ. Did a full day at Niagara the next day and then off to ORD, STL, IAD, LHR and then ATH. Both days in YYZ I was up before 5:00am and slept after midnight. Managed some sleep on aircraft. Met Mal of AFF at LHR and I was still full of energy and nothing changed in Greece. Train trips, bus trips, walking, taxi trips and a whole lot of fun.

On the way home as soon as we got to HKG I was extremely tired and hired a hotel room for the afternoon, then in PER same the next morning and arrive in SYD late evening and I was extremely tired. I was still tired but played both days and went back to BNE for work still feeling a little tired. Nothing to do with jetlag but simply the realisation of being home and back into the routine again.

Anyway sorry for the boring story and going off-Topic.

 

[11sjw]

I've had a former Ansett pilot tell me that drugs are the worst thing to do (ok for kids as Adults are there to fort them out) due to the inability to react should an emergency situation arise. Any others been told this?

 

[Logan^]

I have used Valium for my long haul flights to the UK in Y.

Works a treat I find, pop 2 after take off at SIN and I am out like a light till I arrive in London.

 

[straitman]

Absolutely we are not all the same.


It must only exist in certain people at which point is it really jet lag or the failure to be able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns? I guess in a way the same can be said for workers that alternate between morning, afternoon and night shift. Some can handle it some cannot. I can sleep sitting upright in a seat (yes lucky and no need to waste money on a pretend bed) so perhaps that helps. But I have anxiety/panic attacks so that is a drawback.

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination but sometimes one really needs to question the results of studies. I still maintain that there is no such thing as jetlag and you would be surprised what adrenalin can achieve. I am full of adrenalin which is why I refuse to have a needle when going to the dentist.

And I did work in Asia for a number of years and I was never tired on the way over but always tired on the way back. Travel in those days was exciting and I could not get enough. As soon as I am about to come home realisation strikes and adrenalin is gone and I feel the effects of tiredness. I refuse to call it jetlag.

Another boring example travelling west to east on last RTW. I got to LAX full of energy for connections to DFW and then YYZ. Did a full day at Niagara the next day and then off to ORD, STL, IAD, LHR and then ATH. Both days in YYZ I was up before 5:00am and slept after midnight. Managed some sleep on aircraft. Met Mal of AFF at LHR and I was still full of energy and nothing changed in Greece. Train trips, bus trips, walking, taxi trips and a whole lot of fun.

On the way home as soon as we got to HKG I was extremely tired and hired a hotel room for the afternoon, then in PER same the next morning and arrive in SYD late evening and I was extremely tired. I was still tired but played both days and went back to BNE for work still feeling a little tired. Nothing to do with jetlag but simply the realisation of being home and back into the routine again.

Anyway sorry for the boring story and going off-Topic.

Not OT JohnK, quite informative actually.

Like I said if it works for you then great.

Unknowingly you have actually hit upon the problem and the solution. A big part of Jetlag is actually, as you put it 'the failure to be able to adapt or adjust to new sleeping patterns' plus the build up of sleep deficit.

Might I suggest that by the time you were heading home you had a big sleep deficit which is why you were so tired.

Having said that and what ever you call it, I find it interesting that it affects some people a heaps and others only a little.

 

[straitman]

I've had a former Ansett pilot tell me that drugs are the worst thing to do (ok for kids as Adults are there to fort them out) due to the inability to react should an emergency situation arise. Any others been told this?

11sjw,

This is correct for many drugs. There are some, and Stilnox is one, that have very short half lives and so the sedative effect can be overridden relatively easily.

Having said that, and this is one of my pet hates was the former Ansett pilot speaking from a position of sort of authority or just from personal experience :?:

Another good drug for this type of use id Temazepam. It is interesting to note that 'The United States Air Force uses temazepam as one of the hypnotics approved as "no-go pills" to help aviators and special duty personnel sleep in support of mission readiness.' See this link.

 

[ReLoad]

Taken Serapax twice, once LHR-HKG, Fell asleep eating the dinner 15 minutes out of LHR and woke up upon descent, in whY. I was so stiff because i basically didnt move for the entire flight, allegedly the guy in the window seat had to pole vault over me.

The second time was HKG-MEL, similar results, but both times felt so fresh and awake at the destination.

Im very reluctant to take them, its only really if i have meeting on the day of landing thats super critical, otherwise no thanks.